only the nole

Yep, that’s a smiley face finger-painted onto the artball sportrait done by Novak Djokovic in celebration of his qualification into the 2010 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, where he’ll join the other top seven guys on the tour vying for around $3.5 million in prize money.

Nole banked enough points over the weekend (his semifinal win over John Isner at the China Open in Beijing) to put him in company with qualifiers Roger and Rafa. (Flashback: See the top duo’s art pieces.) At this week’s Shanghai Rolex Masters, Andy Murray also qualified after beating Jeremy Chardy in the round of 16. This leaves four more spots in contention.

Lip service: “I was really happy to hear the news. It’s four consecutive years for me to get to the Finals, so this achievement means a lot. Of course I will do my best to get even further than I did last year to try to pass the group stage, but there’s still a way to go. It was incredible how many people came out and watched us last year. I really look forward to playing in front of that crowd in The O2 again.”